Apparatus for compressing air



UNITED STATES PATENT @FHCE,

JAMES J. LAWLER, OF SORANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 272,711, dated February 20, 1883.

Application filed July 15, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom "tt may concern e Be it known that I, JAMES J. LAWLER, of Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Uom pressingAir for Forci ng Beer and other Liquids; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views of the same.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote the same parts.

I will first describe my improved apparatus at length, and then point out its special points of novelty in the. claims at the end of this specifloat-ion.

Referring to the drawings, H H represents a cylinder composed of an upper and lower section divided by a horizontal partition, A, and constructed ofany suitable material strong enough to withstand the pressure to which it is subjected. Each section is provided with a turned-out flange, h, and between these flanges and interposed washers it the partition A is held. A ring, P, having a downwardly-projecting flange, p, on the outer edge of it,.is placed upon the upper flange of the cylinder with its flange covering the joint, and a flat ring, 7, is placed beneath the lower flange of the cylinder, the parts being then clamped-together and the joint completed by means of bolts 3 and nuts 3 as shown in Fig. 1. By placing the partition between the flanges of the cylinder it is given a sufficient bearing and isprevented from springing, and itcau be taken out and replaced at pleasure. The flanged ring P also completely covers the edges ot the cylinder-flanges and the edges of the washers and adds neatness and finish to the joint. Extending vertically within the cylinder, above and below the partition A, is a tube, B, the same forming a close joint with the partition and having open upper and lower ends and lateral openings l and f, as shown. To the upper edge of this tube is pivoted, at d, a balance-weight, D, having lateral arms (1 and d to the former of which is articulated a valverod, 0, extending down through the tube B and provided with a valve, U, at its lower end, and to the latter of which is articulated a short rod, E, whose lower end terminates in a cup shaped recess containing, preferably, a washer, e, as shown. The rod 0 carries two cross-bars, L and F, which project respectively through the lateral openings land f of the tube B, as shown, and its valve 0 co-operates with a valve-seat, K, forming part of a screwthreaded discharge-tube working through the bottom of the cylinder, and having applied to its stein a stand, L, which not only serves as a support for the cylinder but also to draw the seat K tightly against a washer, m, interposed between it and the all of the cylinder and thus preserve a close joint. The recessed lower end of the rod E containing the washer e is adapted to cooperate with the discharge end of a supply-tube, F, in a manner to be hereinafter explained.

J is a float, preferably half-round on the bottom and flat on the top, and having a tube, J, passing up through its center. This float is made of any material strong enough to withstand any external pressure to which it may be subjected, and its specific gravity is less than that of water. Its tube J incloses the tube B, and is adapted to play up and down upon the same to a limited extent.

g and G are two upwardly-opening valves arranged in the partition A, with their stems projecting down below the partition into the lower chamber of the cylinder, above the float J, the stem of valve 9 projectinga little lower than that of valve G. Arranged above the valve 9 is a rod, I, which is jointed to one extremit-y of a pivoted lever, 'l, which, at its other end, has connected to itavalve, O, adapted at suitable times to close and uncover an air-opening, 0, in the fitting N at the upper end of the cylinder.

M represents an air-pipe leading to the barrel or keg from which the liquid is to be forced, and n is a check-valve arranged in said pipe for preventing a backflow of air.

It is a fitting through which the water euters into the cylinder, and. secured to this fitting and to a cap, U, by bands or clamps WV W is a rubber bulb or tube, S, of the shape shown, or of any other suitable shape. Passing down through the cap U and through a stufflng-box, V, at the bottom thereof, is a valve-stem having at its upper end a thumbscrew, X, and at its lower end a valve, T, adapted to co-operate with a suitable seat, Z, as shown.

The parts of the apparatus having now been pointed out, its operation will be more easily understood. The water, from any suitable source, islet in through the valve T and passes up through the tube F, as shown by the arrows, Fig. 1, and fills the upper chamber of the cylinder above the partition until the top of tube B is reached, when it overflows down through the tube B and passes-out through the openings q q, as also shown by arrows, and commences to till the lower chamber of the cylinder, the air from said chamber passing out through the upper slot, 1. in tube B, up through tube into the upper chamber of the cylinder, and thence through the tube M and past the check-valve n to the kegs or barrels to be charged, the check-valve preventing any backflow. By the filling of the lower chamber of the cylinder the float J is caused to rise, and in doing so it first strikes and raises the valve 9, and the latter in turn lifts the rod I, which vibrates the lever T and opens the escape-valve O and lets off the heavy pressure of air. Rising then a little farther, the float next presses up the valve G. Both the valves 9 and G now being open, the water runs freely from the upper chamber above the partition down into the lower chamber, and the float begins to rise much faster, and, striking the cross-bar L, raises the stem 0, which opens the outlet-valve (J at the bottom, and at the same time tilts over the balance-weight D, so as to cause the rod E to be moved downward and its washer e to be pressed against the supplytube F, thus completely shutting off the inflow of water. The float does not drop down again until after all the water has run out from the upper chamber of the cylinder, for the reason that the water cannot run out of the dischargevalve U as fast as it comes down through the two valves 9 and G. While the water is discharging from the cylinder fresh air is drawn in through the escape-valve 0 at the top of the cylinder, and the cylinder is refilled with air. As the water falls in the lower chamber the float. falls also, and the check-valves g and G close automatically, thereby closing also the escape-valve 0; but the valve 0 does not close yet, being still overbalanced by the tilted weight 1). Continuing the descent, the float next bears upon the cross-bar F, and, being heavier than the weight D, overbalances it and closes the discharge-valve G, at the same time causing the rod E to be lifted and permitting a fresh supply of water to enter the cylinder. It is very necessary to have a regular pressure of air on the beer or other liquid, and this result I secure by means of the valve T and spring-diaphragm S. When the pressure on the beer is stronger than the spring S the backpressnre of water or air forces up the top of S, and the valve T is lifted, so as to wholly or partially cut off the supply of water, and this decreases the pressure; but when, on the other hand. the pressure on the beer is reduced the elasticity of the diaphragm S opens the supply-valve T and lets more water in again. This pressure-regulator, instead of being located where shown, may be placed on the air-pipe extending from the top of the cylinder, it' desired, and the supply of water be taken direct at the inlet F.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new isl. In an automatic air-compressor for forcing liquids, the combination of a cylinder divided into upper and lower chambers by a partition, and having a tube or passage leading from one chamber to the other and an air-discharge passage, valves in the partition, means for introducing water into the upper chamber, and a float in the lower chamber operating, when raised by the overflow of water into the lower chamber through the tube or passage, to lift the valves in the partition and cause the direct passage of the water from the upper chamber into the lower chamber, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic air-compressor for forcing liquids, the combination of a cylinder divided into upper and lower chambers by a partition, as described, and having a tube or passage connecting the two chambers and an air-discharge passage, with inlets and discharge-openings for the water in the upper and lower chambers, respectively, with a float in the, lower chamber, and valves and connections, substantially as described, operated by the falling and rising of the float to simultaneouslyclose thedischarge-passage in the low er chamber and open the inlet-passage in the upper chamber, and vice versa, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic air-compressor for forcing liquids, the combination of a cylinder divided bya partition into an upper and a lower chamber, and having a tube or passage leading from one chamber to the other and an airdischarge passage, upwardly-opening valves in the partition, means for introducing water into the upper chamber, an air-inlet valve in the upper chamber and suitable connections by which it is opened and closed by the raising of one of the partition-valves, and a float in the lower chamber operating, when raised by the overflow of water into the lower chamher, to lift the partition-valves and open the air-inlet valve, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the cylinder composed of the two sections H H. having the laterallyextended flanges h h, with the partition A, the interposed washers z' '13, the ring P, having the depending flange p, the lower ring, j, and the bolts and nuts 3 31, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the cylinder H, the

partition A, dividing the same, the ube B, extending from the upper to the lower chamber ofthecylinder, the balance-\veightD, the valvestem 0, carrying the discharge-valve O, the inlet-valves E, the inlet-pipe F, and the discharge-passage at the bottom of the lower chamber, and the float J, operating as it rises and falls upon the cross-bars L and F to raise and lower the stem 0, and thus shift the inlet and discharge valves, substantially as described.

fiilhe combination with the cylinder divided by the partition into upper and lower chambers, of the float J,the upwardly-opening valve 9 in the partition, the rod 1, lever T, and airinlet valve 0, the whole arranged and operated substantially as described.

7. The combination of the cylinder divided into two compartments by the horizontal partition, the valves in the partition, the water inlet and discharge passages in the upper and lower chambers, respectively, the float J, and

. connections and valves operated thereby, and

the air-exit pipe M, at the top of the cylinder, provided with a check-valve, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the valve-seat K, having the exteriorly-screw-tbreaded stem, with the bottom of the cylinder, the interposed washer m, and the stand L, said stand serving both as a support for the cylinder and also as a means for preserving a tight joint between the valve-seat and cylinder, and the stem of the valve-seat serving both for the attachment of the stand and for the connection of a discharge-pipe, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with the cylinder having the upper and lower chambers, of the inlet-pipe in the upper chamber, the dischargepipe in the lower chamber, the tube opening into both said chambers, the balance-weight t'ulcrumed to the upper end of said tube, the valve-stem carrying the inlet-valve, the valvestem carrying the outlet-valve and having the cross-bars, and the float, the whole arranged and operating substantially as described.

JAMES 'J. LAWLE a.

Witnesses: JOHN BRADLEY,

E. J. LYNETT. 

